Will Spitz News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Philippe Lemm The struggles of international musicians shut out of jobless aid during the pandemic have highlighted larger issues with the U.S. immigration system. When the CARES Act gave freelancers access to unemployment benefits for the first time in U.S. history late last March, New York-based drummer and band leader Philippe Lemm (frontman for the Philipe Lemm Trio) wasn't certain if he qualified as the holder of an O-1B visa, which is granted to individuals "with an extraordinary ability in the arts." The website for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) wasn’t much help....

‘Catastrophic’: For Artists on Visas, Unemployment Claims Come With Severe Risk Billboard 5/11/2021 Philippe Lemm When the CARES Act gave freelancers access to unemployment benefits for the first time in U.S. history late last March, New York-based drummer and band leader Philippe Lemm (frontman for the Philipe Lemm Trio) wasn’t certain if he qualified as the holder of an O-1B visa, which is granted to individuals “with an extraordinary ability in the arts.” The website for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) wasn’t much help. “It said they would be lenient,”...